31 months 23 days

MORE PICTURES TO COME

Day 965. Last night I went to bed just before 1 am. Tammy joined us at some point during the night. Emmy was up and running just before 6 am, way too early. 15 minutes later he came to me all excited, holding his first egg in hand. There was a little car inside. And then he kept going, looking for eggs. Tammy was fast asleep between us for the longest time. Sammy woke up before her, and his crying had so intensified that I went to get him even though I was really tired. Soon Tammy was up as well and joined the egg search. At 7:30 I got up as well to join the fun. I gave them some hints and tips on where to look. It was a lot of fun to watch them, but there was also drama, fights over eggs and the like. I made breakfast and we sat down to eat. Tammy and Emmy competed to see whose egg would crack and Tammy won. However, she cried hard, when I put the winning egg back into the fridge, and we peeled Emmy's egg to eat it. Sammy is usually the only one eating eggs, so I don't want to peel too many at once, and this morning he didn't want it either.

After breakfast I cleaned them up and dressed them. They were eager to go downstairs, where most of the eggs were hidden, and so off we went. They started looking for eggs, and there was a good number I had hidden last night. It was a fun time, and they had a hard time finding them, just because they wouldn't lift things up or open drawers or look inside boxes. I had to give them hints and point them directions so they would find them, but they found most of them in the end. Some of them had chickens on the inside that you can wind up and then they jump. They really enjoyed them.

At 10 am we went upstairs to get ready to leave at 10:15 am, and we left a few minutes after that. We took the subway, then had a long walk ahead of us. It was a sunny day and a little warmer than yesterday. We saw four horses grazing in the grass of the park, which was cool, then we walked on and got to the restaurant, where the Easter event was taking place. It was supposed to start at 11 am, and we got there a few minutes early, and so we waited. The kids were running around. Then some people started talking on the microphone, and then they started the Easter Egg hunt. They told the kids to go around in the area to find eggs. There was no limit as to how many they could take, and we ended up with 9 hardboiled eggs. We didn't find a wooden one which would have meant receiving a special prize.

Done with the eggs, we walked to where they had set up a play area. They took their shoes off and started jumping on the blow-up castle, having fun. Then Tammy came off first and walked over to another area, where she sat down to draw. I also put Sammy on the bench, and he did pretty well drawing, better than I've ever seen him draw. Emmy also came over and ended up being the first child whose face was painted. After the amazing job the ladies had done yesterday, today was pitiful. Emmy wanted to be a tiger again. Then it was Tammy's turn, and she wanted to be a cat. She ended up looking nearly identical to her brother. Next they sat down to paint a styrofoam egg, and they both picked a big one. They did pretty well painting them. 

We had really done everything there that was for their age. They each got a balloon, and we left, walking back the way we had come. We had passed a playground, and that's where we were heading. It was a really nice one. Tammy headed straight for the slide and climbed up the ladder, no problem at all. The slide was high and fast, but she enjoyed it and went back up again, then Emmy did too. Then we saw a squirrel, and Emmy went after it. In the meantime Tammy went up another way, climbing up on the net, then walking across a thick rope, and I was impressed that she had done it all by himself. Then Emmy did it too, but we were there to help if needed. Sammy wanted to be with me, and I put him in the swing, then sat in the swing together with him, and he enjoyed it. With time advancing, we finally decided it was time to leave, and so we started walking towards the subway station. The kids had eaten all kinds of snacks, so we were not planning on a lunch. When we walked past McDonald's, I ran inside just to get some fries for them and food for us, then we continued on to the subway. The kids ate their fries, while we waited until we got home.

At 1:20 we were back home. We immediately took their clothes off, and by 1:30 the boys were in bed. Randy went downstairs with Tammy, while I sat down by the boys. Emmy was asleep really quickly which surprised me, but Sammy likes to play around as long as I sit in the chair. After I walked away, he was soon asleep.  And so Tammy was able to come upstairs and go to bed.  She wanted me to stay, and she also fell asleep fast. It was 1:40, when I walked away.

But today not to sleep, even though I was really tired. I got my computer out to work, even though time was rather short, and I was still hoping to get a few minutes of sleep before leaving the house at 4 pm. Sammy was the first one to wake up at 2:40 pm. I picked him up and took him to Randy who took him downstairs. Randy and I were talking  and came to the decision that we would not go to church but stay home. We were both beat after a weekend of constantly being on the go. I was relieved not to have to stress about getting their dinner boxes ready and getting everyone ready for 4 pm.

I went back to work; at 2:55 Emmy walked into the room, and I took him downstairs to the other boys. Then I went back to work. After a while Emmy came to the bottom of the stairs and called for me. That was loud enough to wake Tammy up who came running into the room. It was 3:25 pm. I took her downstairs as well and returned to work.

As expected it wasn't long before there was crying and shouting my name, and I knew I had no choice but to take my computer and go downstairs. And as expected, it wasn't long before they asked to watch Peppa Pig. And so they sat down next to me to watch. Randy left to do some housework, and I was left to make Sammy happy instead of working. I was having fun with him. They love boxes and play boat and the like with them, and I put Sammy into a box with Tammy, when I first went downstairs, and he enjoyed it. He continued playing with the box after the other two had left. At some point Randy returned and spent a little time with him. After a while I turned the video off; they protested at first but then started playing.

But of course they wanted to include me. And that's why it's impossible for me to work in the same room they are in. But I enjoyed playing with them. Emmy went into the swing, and then Tammy, and Sammy wanted me to throw him around, which I did. Before I knew it it was 5:15 and time to go make dinner.

We haven't been home much for lunch, and so I had food in the fridge that was or had expired and needed to be eaten. And so I had put a chicken into the oven in the afternoon that was now done. I made rice, quinoa and vegetables with it, put it on their plates, and cut up some fruit to put on their plates as well. It all took me a little longer than usual. Just before 6 pm they all came upstairs to eat. They sat down at the table and ate some food; Sammy really liked the rice and vegetables. Then they left to go into the bathtub, and I combined the resf of their food in bowls that I took there. They all ate a little more food, but Emmy was really upset that the watermelon was gone. Tuesday is the earliest that Randy could buy some. Then they all came out of the water one after another and got ready to go to bed. By 7:15 they were all in bed, and I sat down by them. Tammy wanted to lie on my chest again. We talked for a little bit, then I started singing. Tammy went to bed, and then Emmy wanted me to rock him, and I let him come. He didn't stay long. Normally Sammy would now ask to be rocked, but he had been tired and had fallen asleep. Tammy was getting closer to falling asleep, while Emmy was monkeying around. Emmy wanted me to leave, but Tammy wanted me to stay. I finally got Tammy's okay for Daddy to take my place. It wasn't long after I had left that Emmy was crying for Mommy. And so I returned. Just before 8 pm I was able to leave for good, thank God.

Normally we order food once every weekend and sit down to watch a movie together. Tonight we were gonna eat the chicken and rice I had made. I warmed it up and took the plates downstairs, where Randy had already set everything up. Except for my computer that I set up. We watched the second half of the film we started last week while eating and were finished with both it and the food rather early, which was not inconvenient given how much work I had. And so I sat down at the computer to start working, and it wasn't long until I got so tired that my eyes were falling shut while writing. I don't think I have a choice but to go to bed early, no matter how much work I have.